Upcoming 2023 CSAR Seminar
2023 Registration Link: csarseminarreg.regfox.com/csar-2023-seminar-jackson-ohio
As of 5/23/2023, Beginner Trailing and Beginner Air Scent have openings (after some moves into the new advanced class), all other classes are waitlisted. Join the waitlist for a chance at other openings.
Seminar questions can go to csar2023seminar@gmail.com.
The upcoming CSAR seminar is being hosted by the CSAR Board of Directors with help from Mike Byrd and will be held Sunday, October 8th to October 13th, 2023 at Canter's Cave 4-H Camp in Jackson, Ohio.
csarseminarreg.regfox.com/csar-2023-seminar-jackson-ohio
CSAR Members - $450, Non-members - $500
Fee includes: 4 full days of instruction (M-TH), meals from Sunday evening through Friday morning, and accommodations onsite at camp.
Companions (not working a dog) - $250
Fee includes: Meals from Sunday evening through Friday morning and accommodations onsite at camp.
Meal plan only for volunteers (not registered to work a dog and not onsite for housing). $80 for a dinner only meal plan, $144 for a breakfast and dinner meal plan. Contact Janet Geist at djsdgeist@aol.com to register for this plan and volunteering. Note: this is for volunteers not bringing or working a dog.
Check out this site for a view of the camp:
4hcanterscave.osu.edu
Registration for MEMBERS will open on February 18th at 2 p.m. central time with registration for non-members a few weeks later.
Current CSAR 2023 Instructors (subject to change) Last updated on 5/25/23.
Urban Trailing: Roy Lopez, Todd Raak
Advanced Trailing - A: Charlie Douthett, Jason Greene (8 students)
Advanced Trailing - B: Kevin Kidwell (4 students)
Intermediate Trailing: Terry Plumlee, Robin Houston
Beginner Trailing: Janet Siefert
Advanced Airscent - A: Athena Haus, Joe Lomax
Advanced Airscent - B: Darcy Harbaugh (4 students)
Intermediate Airscent: Chris Snipes, Terri Slizewki (apprentice)
Beginner Airscent: Gloria Napier
Advanced Land HRD: Nick Fathergill, Kathleen Kelsey
Intermediate HRD: Christi Raak, Dennis Schenk
Beginner HRD: Su Anderson, Karen Scobbie (apprentice)
Advanced Water HRD: Jenn Hirakawa
Beginner Water HRD: Janet Geist
CSAR2023 Instructor Biographies
Gloria Napier– Beginner Area
Gloria has been a Search and Rescue K9 handler for the past 25 years. She is one of the founding members of Buckeye Search and Rescue Dogs (BSARD). As a member of BSARD, she is a K9 handler, team trainer, team manager, search coordinator, and search manager. During her SAR career, Gloria has had the pleasure of working with five K9 partners who were trained in the SAR disciplines of Land and Water HRD, Trailing, and Wilderness Area Search. Gloria has participated in over 250 search operations throughout Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky. She, along with other K9 handlers from Ohio deployed to Mississippi as an HRD K9 handler after Hurricane Katrina and to West Virginia after the flooding in 2016. During her career, she has participated in multiple SAR seminars as a K9 handler, K9 trainer, and/or evaluator. Gloria is a former NASDN Board member and prior President and Secretary for the Ohio Federation of K9 Search Teams.
Chris Snipes – Intermediate Area
As a former Active-Duty Service member, I wanted to give back to the community. I began my Search and Rescue career in 2009 while stationed in Monterey, CA with Monterey County Search and Rescue Dogs (MCSARD) as a K9 Handler where I focused on Live Area with my Golden, Linus. Linus was originally raised to be a guide dog for the Seeing Eye Foundation in Morristown NJ. Unfortunately, Linus was not suited for Guide work, he was well suited for Search and Rescue. Upon completing my requirements in CA, we moved to Huntsville, AL and joined North Alabama Search Dog Association (NASDA). During our time in AL, I was a member and K9 Handler with NASDA (2010-2015) and through lots of teamwork and training we obtained certifications from National Association of Search and Rescue (NASAR) as SARTECH II, Live Area II & III, and Land HRD Type IV. NASDA introduced me to CSAR in 2010 and I have been an active member ever since. Additionally, while in Alabama I obtained certification as NASAR Lead Evaluator for Live Area II & III and Land HRD Type Other/IV. After completing my assignment in AL, I was stationed in Grand Prairie, TX. While in TX (2015-2018), I joined the Search One Rescue Team (SORT) as a K9 Handler focusing in HRD. As a K9 Handler, we obtained a Mission Ready status with SORT and participated in numerous HRD searches. While with SORT, Linus and I participated in several SORT seminars. I was selected as an assistant instructor for Intermediate HRD Water during the 2015 CSAR seminar and Intermediate Live Area during CSAR 2017. In 2018, I was selected to teach an Intermediate Live Area class during a mini-seminar hosted by NASDA. Due to medical issues, Linus was retired in 2018 to enjoy the happy homelife of a retired SAR dog. I didn’t immediately start working another partner due to the uncertainty of time and locations for my Army career. After Texas, we were stationed in several locations for short periods of time. The first was Carlisle, PA while I attended the Army War College from 2018-2019. The second short assignment was in Fort Sill, OK from 2019- 2020. After these two short duration assignments, the Army stationed me back in Huntsville, AL for my current assignment where I was fortunate to rejoin Team NASDA. AS of October 2022, I have entered the throws of K9 Handler once again. We have adopted Logan, a four-month-old Black Lab, from a local shelter. Puppy run-aways are so much fun. I believe the seminar is a two-fold education experience, with the primary goal of providing alternate experiences to handlers in attendance and assist with the small fine tuning between the handler and their canine partner. Secondly, the instructors learn from the students as well. During the seminar, both parties (instructors and attendees) will take away valuable learning experience with the goal of cross populating those experiences to their respective teams, thus increasing and expanding CSAR’s purpose. Within the Army, consistency is paramount. We train our tasks until they become muscle memory. I utilize these very basic concepts in my approach to training K9 teams. Our K9 partners love and thrive on consistency. I like to challenge the handler to think through difficult situations and how your actions impact and drive the behavior of your talented partner. I am extremely excited to work with Terri Slizewski. I know we will challenge the teams with exciting, fun, and challenging scenarios.
Terri Slizewski – Intermediate Area (Apprentice)
Terri Slizewski will be an apprentice instructor this year in Beginning Area. Terri has been a K9 handler with North Alabama Search Dog Association since 2003. She is a NASAR SarTech 2 and certified her first K9 partner, Brandi (GSD), with a NASAR Canine Area Level II. Terri’s second K9 partner, Shelby (GSD), has certified to a NASAR Canine Area Level III and is cross-trained and certified as a an HRD Land Type Other (non-disaster operations). Shelby has retired from area but is still active answering callouts for Land and Water HRD. Shelby has 2 live area finds and has assisted in multiple water recoveries. Terri joined CSAR in 2004 and has attended the annual CSAR training seminar every year since except for one. She also serves as CSAR’s current Secretary as well as Membership Chair and Newsletter editor. Over the years, Terri has attended 1 to 3 search and rescue seminars every year training in area and HRD, as well as other SAR-related training classes including MLPI, Advanced SAR, PER213 - Wide Area Search (TEEX), ICS-300-400, and Wilderness First Aid. Terri retired from her career as a software engineer a few years ago and has dedicated more of her time to volunteer work, not just in Search and Rescue, but also as a USFS Volunteer Wilderness Ranger in Alabama, performing trail work and maintenance, and interacting with hikers and forest visitors teaching Leave No Trace principals. Terri is excited about this next chapter in her Search and Rescue experience. At every seminar she has attended as a student, she has enjoyed watching other handlers and their K9 partners as they experience new training locations, training experiences, and training methods. Terri believes that a handler can learn as much or more from watching other handlers and their K9s work as they can from working with their own partner in many cases. She knows that instructors have to be flexible and be able to use their experience and knowledge to help individual students learn the way that best benefits them. Each handler and K9 is different and the team dynamic is different than every other handler and K9 team. Terri also believes that handlers need a strong foundation in scent theory, search tactics, and reward systems. Working with beginner handlers and K9s is where those foundations can be introduced, studied, and refined. Terri has a strong commitment to Canine Search and Recovery and CSAR’s mission which is training and education, information and networking to encourage the use of search dogs. She is excited to be a part of that mission as an Apprentice Instructor for CSAR2023 and partnering with and learning from lead instructor Chris Snipes.
Athena Haus – Advanced Area
Athena Haus- Instructor for The Center for Forensic Training and Education
Fire Science & Emergency Medicine– Sinclair Community College
Executive Director-K9 Karma
President– Ohio Disaster Search Dogs Founding & Former Member, Search Team Manager;
Canine Coordinator- FEMA: Ohio Task Force One Former, Canine Search Specialist;
Canine Evaluator – FEMA: Ohio Task Force One; California Task Force One; Indiana Task Force One Former, Subject Matter Expert, Instructor– FEMA Canine Search Specialist Course Region III Rescue Team-Member
Evaluator & Instructor – Indiana Homeland Security Search and Rescue Tactical Medic & Instructor-Tri-Med Tactical
Athena Haus has 28 years of experience in the field of Search and Rescue with 26 of those in public service, as a Firefighter/Paramedic and Fire Officer. She was a Founding Member of FEMA Ohio Task Force One where she served as a Search Team Manager, Canine Coordinator and Canine Search Specialist when the team was in its infancy, helping to build the training program and current disaster site. She has also served as a Canine Search Specialist for FEMA California Task Force One and Indiana Task Force One, working both human remains detection and live find canines. Athena has deployed as a Canine asset with all three FEMA teams while she was a rostered member. She is the founder of K9 Karma, a canine training business, specializing in the working canine and behavioral canine issues. For the past 20 years, she has traveled the country as an instructor, evaluator, and facilitator for search and rescue, as well as, tactical medicine classes and workshops. Athena specializes in live find disaster search and wilderness, as well as, human remains detection land and disaster. She has responded to countless disaster and missing person searches for local, state and federal agencies. She has managed several large-scale local incidents as the Commanding Fire Officer operating in a Unified Command Structure. She frequently consults as a subject matter expert for large scale disaster training exercises, providing guidance in search strategy and planning and resource management. During her years as a disaster and fire service responder, Athena repeatedly saw that there was a lack of resources and training opportunities to fully prepare canine handlers and teams to manage canine injuries. She established BARK; Basic Aid to Responder K9 program, partnering with Tri-Med Tactical, providing training at the Ohio Fire Academy, Ohio Tactical Officer Association, IDHS as well as other organizations. This training ensures that teams with canines embedded in the disaster and tactical environment have access to basic, real world, hands on canine medical training.
Joe Lomax – Advanced Area
Battalion Chief, Jeff Craig Fire Dept. Search Dog Team (Indiana)
Joe is certified with K9 Angus in Area Search. Joe has been deployed to several natural disasters in Kentucky and adjacent states. Joe is also a lead instructor for Ground Search at Indiana Dept. of Homeland Security (IDHS) and teaches with them routinely.
Darcy Harbaugh – Advanced Area
Darcy is a founding member of the North Alabama Search Dog Association. She has personally trained and fielded dogs for Area and HRD, land and water. She has also helped train a few trailing dogs over the years. She started in obedience work and AKC tracking (up to a TDX) and expanded that into SAR work eventually. She still dabbles in obedience and agility. Darcy has served as NASDA’s team trainer since inception and still enjoys going to other seminars to test her and her dog and learn more about ever changing dog training techniques and theories. She has certified dogs in Area and HRD through NASAR and NAPWDA during her career, and currently serves as a NASAR K9 Lead Evaluator for Area and HRD.
Darcy is currently working her fourth lab, Blue, in both Area and HRD. She attended her first CSAR seminar in 1997, which was also CSAR’s first seminar. She has served on the board, as secretary, and as President. She also received CSAR's Bill Tolhurst Award, along with Janet Schmidt Geist, in 2022.
Darcy has instructed Area and HRD water multiple times over the years (thank you, Denver Holder, for being such a good CSAR mentor) and is looking forward to teaching Advanced Area. She loves working with teams and figuring out ways to make the handler think and coming up with ways to solve noted problems. She is also a map geek and enjoys working with GPS data to better improve dog and handler skills.
Susan Vodrazka Anderson – Beginning HRD
I go by Su and I like to keep things light and fun. Training should be a positive motivational event that keeps all of us invested and coming back. There should be purpose to it that promotes learning for the canine and the team and provides challenges that sometimes result in failure. This is where the most growth occurs. Dealing with that in training translates to the real world. Background: I started in USAR with FEMA in 2003 in California. I have now certified three dogs for Live Find and after getting in on the ground floor of the HRD FEMA program I have certified two dogs in HRD. My LF and HRD dogs and I have been on several deployments to hurricanes starting with Katrina and, most recently, Ian. Additionally, my HRD dogs have also been to mudslides and wildfires on the West Coast and have been involved in numerous local searches for missing people. We have had some success in both arenas. After retiring my husband Jeff and I moved to Texas and now reside in Madisonville. I have transferred to the Nevada FEMA team and travel there monthly to train. My most recent deployment was as a part of that team. I have a small dog training operation in Madisonville focusing on Live Find and HRD for FEMA handlers and task forces. I love to train dogs, especially puppies, and have never lost my enjoyment of watching the lightbulb come on and a dog rise to his potential.
Karen Scobbie – Beginning HRD (Apprentice)
My HRD journey began in 2016 which was also the first year I attended CSAR.
I am a member of NWI K9 Search and Recovery where I serve as Vice President and Training Chairperson. My K9 Pippa is certified with AWDA for Wilderness HRD and Shoreline HRD.
Prior to that I participated in dog sports with my first Aussie and have experience instructing Obedience, Agility, Barn Hunt, and Scentwork. I currently teach a Scentwork class and Barn Hunt workshops to keep my non-working dogs busy.
What I bring to CSAR is the ability to relate to what newer people need.
Kathleen Kelsey – Intermediate HRD
Kathleen Kelsey is the online program director for The Center for Forensic Training and Education. Director – Calvary Canine
Evaluator – Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Search Dog Alliance (NSDA), Alliance of Emergency Response Instructors and Examiners (AERIE).
Instructor – FEMA Canine Search Specialist
Kathleen has been training search and rescue dogs since 2003 and is a Canine Search Specialist for FEMA Missouri Task Force One and McLean County Illinois EMA. She has worked both live find and human remains detection dogs and provides K9 assets for local law enforcement and deploys around the country in response to natural and manmade disasters. Kathleen is an instructor and evaluator for multiple national search dog organizations and provides training instruction and certification for K9 teams. Kathleen is the owner of Working Dog Enterprises which specializes in advancing detection dogs through research and education. She is also the co-founder of the Center for Forensic Training and Education Online, an online course platform providing virtual training for SAR dogs. Kathleen also founded Calvary Canine, a non-profit that provides training scholarships to search and rescue handlers. Kathleen is committed to the education of SAR K9 handlers and their dogs and helping ensure quality canine resources are available to communities in their time of need.
Christi Raak – Intermediate HRD
As a lifelong dog lover my training started in 1998, working with breed rescue groups training, rehabbing dogs with behavior issues and trained, certified and worked a therapy dog with special needs children and senior citizens. 2010 I began teaching pet dog classes including agility, rally and evaluating CGC testing. 2012 I found the SAR world and was immediately fascinated with every aspect of the working dog world and giving back to the communities. 2014 My first CSAR in Missouri! 2015 I started attending and certifying my dogs through AMPWDA and have since moved from being a trainer to be a Master Trainer. 2018-2019 (off and on currently) training dual and single purpose K9’s for LE in narcotics and accelerants, explosives, bite work, tracking, obedience from start to finish and helping teach the handler school to prepare handlers learn to handler their k9 and for their cert. 2021- began training and working my own explosives K9 I enjoy helping handlers develop and progress through their training. I love to continue to learn and share any knowledge that I can pass on that could potentially make another team as successful as they can be! In my working K9 career I have trained and deployed with 4 partners including x-trained live find/hrd, also certificating her in disaster type II with NSDA, an article detection dog and a trialing dog. I currently have a 4-year-old certified GSD (Jude) in HRD, and have 3-year-old Malinois (Jynx) explosives certified.
Dennis Schenk – Intermediate HRD
Dennis Schenk has been involved with Search and Rescue since 1996. He joined Illinois Search Dogs at that time. Dennis remains a member of Illinois Wisconsin Search Dogs today. He is also an original member of CSAR, Canine Search and Recovery, an International Search Dog Organization. He has served on their Board for many years and has been a six-year past President with the organization. He is also now a member of Canine Search Solutions, Inc for two years. He has instructed HRD classes for fourteen years. He is heavily engaged in volunteer work in his community. He currently resides on the Portage County United Way Vision Council and his church's Finance Committee. He has previously been on the county's Humane Society Board as well as Portage County United Way Board and past member of the Portage County Covid Relief Fund Committee.
He started his SAR venture with SASHA, his first SAR German Shepherd partner. Sasha was a dual-purpose trailing and Human Remains Detection (HRD) dog and certified in both trailing and HRD. She gave him her all and said her final fair well to him at fifteen and a half years old. She was his girl and mentored him in his SAR foundations.
BECK was his second German Shepherd working partner. He was a dual-purpose dog as well. He served Dennis well with twelve working years of service and passed at thirteen and half years old. He was certified with L.E.T.S., Law Enforcement Training Specialist International Inc., in land and water HRD.
GUS, "GUSTO," is his third and present German Shepherd partner. He is twelve years old but still has the intensity, energy, and work ethic of a four- or five-year-old. He was a past dual-purpose dog certifying with NAPWDA, North American Police Work Dog Association, in trailing and HRD and L.E.T.S. land and water HRD. Today his sole focus is land HRD and is still nationally certified with L.E.T.S. in land HRD. At twelve years old, Gus is now enjoying his retirement but still wants to do his job so still works some training problems occasionally, which makes him happy.
He is now training his fourth HRD partner, Bodie, a black Labrador Retriever. After owning, training, and working three German Shepherd partners, Dennis is still waiting for Bodie's ears to pop up.
Dennis currently resides in Central Wisconsin, Rosholt a small town of 506, which is just northeast of Stevens Point Wisconsin.
Kathleen Kelsey – Advanced HRD
Kathleen Kelsey is the online program director for The Center for Forensic Training and Education. Director – Calvary Canine
Evaluator – Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Search Dog Alliance (NSDA), Alliance of Emergency Response Instructors and Examiners (AERIE).
Instructor – FEMA Canine Search Specialist
Kathleen has been training search and rescue dogs since 2003 and is a Canine Search Specialist for FEMA Missouri Task Force One and McLean County Illinois EMA. She has worked both live find and human remains detection dogs and provides K9 assets for local law enforcement and deploys around the country in response to natural and manmade disasters. Kathleen is an instructor and evaluator for multiple national search dog organizations and provides training instruction and certification for K9 teams. Kathleen is the owner of Working Dog Enterprises which specializes in advancing detection dogs through research and education. She is also the co-founder of the Center for Forensic Training and Education Online, an online course platform providing virtual training for SAR dogs. Kathleen also founded Calvary Canine, a non-profit that provides training scholarships to search and rescue handlers. Kathleen is committed to the education of SAR K9 handlers and their dogs and helping ensure quality canine resources are available to communities in their time of need.
Nick Fathergill – Advanced HRD
Nick Fathergill-Training Director for The Center for Forensic Training and Education
B. S. in Civil Engineering - Ohio University
Professional Engineer - Licensed State of Ohio
Firefighter II
Paramedic
Fire Safety Inspector
EMS Instructor
Fire Instructor
Firefighter/Paramedic - Beavercreek Township Fire Department
Canine Search Specialist - FEMA Ohio Task Force One
Canine Search Specialist - Ohio Region III Strike Team
Canine Handler - Ohio Search and Recovery Canines
Nick is a Training Director who works with many different groups to facilitate experiences that replicate real life scenarios. Nick believes there is no substitute for a realistic training environment and by creating a life like scenario participants are immersed in the real decision-making process. After working for nearly a decade as a Professional Engineer for a large engineering and architecture firm, Nick took a different career path becoming a professional Firefighter/Paramedic as well as a Canine Search Specialist for Ohio Task Force One. Nick holds certifications or licenses as a State of Ohio Professional Engineer, Firefighter II, Paramedic, Fire Safety Inspector, Fire and EMS Instructor. Nick currently handles a FEMA Certified Disaster Live Find canine and a FEMA Certified Disaster Human Remains Detection canine who holds dual certifications with FEMA and North American Police Working Dog Association. Nick resides in Southwest Ohio with his wife of 13 years and two children.
Janet Geist – Beginner Water HRD
Janet Geist is a member of the North Alabama Search Dog Association. She started out as an area search handler with her first dog Jester (mix) and cross-trained into HRD. Her current dog Barrington (Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever) is NASAR certified in Area and HRD. Janet has been training in live airscent and cadaver work since 1996, and has also trained and certified her previous partners Chaos (Belgian Malinois) in area and Tusket (N.S.D.T.R) in HRD. Janet has certified all of her dogs through NASAR and is a NASAR evaluator for live and HRD. She is an avid hiker and outdoor person and enjoys combining that with her love of working dogs. She has a background as a dog obedience trainer and instructor. Janet has taught at several seminars, including previous CSAR seminars teaching beginner and intermediate area, and water HRD. Janet has been a member of CSAR for many years, having served on the board in the past and is currently serving as CSAR president.
Jennifer Hirakawa – Advanced Water HRD
Jennifer brings over 30 years of local, national, and international experience in canine training, canine program management, and canine behavior. In May of 2012, Jennifer retired from the US Army Military Police Corps with the rank of Master Sergeant (MSG) after 23 years’ service. Jennifer’s military career had many postings and positions, including time as a canine handler/trainer in patrol, narcotics, and explosives detection. She deployed multiple times for both short and long deployments (IFOR, SFOR, OEF, and others). She successfully challenged the German National Dog Trainers Exam. Jenn is the owner of Kawa Farms K9 Training. In 2012, she began training dogs and humans to help them form a better human-canine bond. Jenn works with all different breeds and temperaments; she also trains many disciplines and actively completes behavior consultations. She trains Service Dogs, working odor detection dogs, and dual-purpose canines. She holds private training, and group training at her training facility in Winterset, Iowa and travels to work with and evaluate teams for operational assessments and Certifications.
Alliance for Emergency Response Examiners (AERIE) for the following disciplines: Instructor – SARAware Course for Student that are beginning their career in Search and Rescue, Instructor – SAR Responder Course for Student certification as a Ground Searcher, Instructor for Search Management, and as an Examiner and Mentor for K9 -- Land HRD, Water HRD, Examiner and Mentor for K9 – Wide Area Search. National Network of Canine Detection Services (NNCDS) she works as an Instructor and Evaluator for the following disciplines: K9 – Land HRD, K9 – Wide Area Search, K9 Water HRD. Jenn is currently working K9 Moose in HRD, and K9 Gracie Bell in Wide Area, while training K9 Billie to follow when Moose retires. She is currently certified and has deployed dogs in wilderness HRD, responding to requests by various law enforcement agencies in and around the state of Iowa and has deployed with the Nebraska State Task Force. She maintains current certifications with AERIE (HRD) and NNCDS (HRD Water – Shoreline and Boat). She handles EDD and narcotics K9s for Merrill Detector Dog Services. Jennifer holds memberships in: American Standards Board – Dogs and Sensors Committee (ASB) National Police Canine Association (NPCA), Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT: Premier Member), American Kennel Club (AKC): Trainer and Evaluator for All Canine Good Citizen exams, Association of Professional Dog trainers (ADPT) C.L.A.S.S. Trainer and Evaluator, and The International Association of Animal Behavioral Consultants: Supporting Member (IAABC). Jennifer is also a Life Member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), The Disabled America Veterans (DAV), United States Army Military Police Regimental Association, and many other veterans’ groups
Janet Siefert – Beginner Trailing
A volunteer EMT and Firefighter since 2000 and having done searches from that perspective, I joined the ranks of K9 Handler in 2016 when I adopted my first SAR K9 Jazzy at age 1 ½. Through many hours of work, learning from anyone I could out there and at various seminars each year, she is currently certified in Tracking, HRD, Water HRD and Air Scent with LETS (Tracking, HRD and Water HRD), United K9 (Level 1 Tracking, Level 1 Scent Discriminating Air Scent and Level 1 HRD) and AWDA for Scent Discriminating Air Scent for current certifications. We’ve also certified with AWDA (up to and including Wilderness Trailing Type I and Wilderness Land HRD Type III, and NAPWDA in tracking and trailing) in the past. She has had many call "successes" making all the hard work worth it. My 2nd working dog Pyro (which many met at CSAR 2021 as a puppy) is currently certified in Tracking with LETS and working on his HRD training this year and is still working hard at developing and expanding his skill level and experience and our communication. It’s been a blast this second round with a totally different dog and having learned so much after struggling many times together with Jazzy through ups and downs, successes and mistakes. Although I work multiple disciplines with Jazzy, my first love is still tracking and I have completed most of an evaluator apprenticeship with LETS, hoping to be complete in 2023. I look forward to teaching at CSAR for the first time solo and thoroughly enjoyed teaching in 2022. I love working with different breeds and handlers trying to find the techniques and experiences that make things “click” and watch the team become a true team and enjoy the work and the process. I also enjoy trying to learn what our canines are trying to tell us specifically in each case. Currently serving as your CSAR Vice President, I look forward to hopefully making CSAR 2023 a wonderful learning experience.
Robin Houston – Intermediate Trailing
Robin worked in law enforcement for 29 years with the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department retiring at the rank of Major. After retirement, she served within the KCPD Canine Unit as a reserve for five years. Robin has volunteered with the Missouri Search and Rescue K9 Unit for twenty years. She has certified canines in the disciplines of live find area search, scent specific trailing, and human remains detection. Currently, Robin has a bloodhound certified in scent specific trailing and a border collie certified in human remains detection. She believes that it is important for tenured handlers to help others in their journey to become proficient in disciplines within search and rescue.
Terry Plumlee – Intermediate Trailing
Terry Plumlee is a member of the Arkansas Alliance of Bloodhound Search Specialist (AABSS) as a canine handler. Terry retired from Oak Grove Fire and Rescue after 30+ years of service as assistant chief. During this time, he assisted on several local searches and realized a critical need in his area of rural Arkansas for trained man-trailing search dogs. He is a former member of the Carroll County Special Operations Rescue Team. Terry also works with the Carroll County Sheriff’s office as a reserve deputy. Terry currently works his 2-year-old bloodhound, Penny, and has responded to multiple searches throughout Arkansas, southern Missouri, and eastern Oklahoma. Terry has attended several CSAR seminars in years past, along with other seminars in Texas and Arkansas and Missouri and Kansas. Terry is in the process of obtaining his SARTEC 2. Terry has done several PR events with youth groups like 4H, Civil Air Patrol, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, church groups, and local schools and clubs. Besides his bloodhound, he shares his life with his wife, Louetta. They have two sons and two grandchildren, Allie Sue who is almost 4 and Denton who is almost 3 years old. They live on a cattle farm in northwest Arkansas.
Charlie Douthett – Advanced Trailing
SGT. Charlie Douthett Kouts, IN police officer 1987-1988
Porter Co. Sheriff’s Dept 1989-2008; 2011-current
Duty assignments: Patrol Division Sergeant Assistant Bomb Squad Commander and Tactical Explosive Breacher Indiana Law Enforcement Academy Certified Instructor Bloodhound Handler/Trainer Bloodhound Team assignments include: The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Bloodhound Response Team FBI Hostage Rescue Team Canine Assistance Program Police Bloodhound cases: include homicide investigations in Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Montana, and Mississippi. The team has assisted numerous Police and Sheriff departments and federal agencies including the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
Charlie has been instrumental in creating a renewed interest in the use of canines and scent evidence for explosive and arson incidents. His handout on reading your dog and scent discrimination training has been used by K9 teams all across the US. In 2003 he and his partner “Sam” were selected as 1 of 11 Bloodhound teams from across the U.S. to participate in scientific experiments conducted at the Federal Bureau of Investigation Bloodhound Research Workshop, held at the FBI Academy in Quantico. Charlie trained with the late Glenn Rimbey and also Jerry Yelk. Jason Greene and Charlie are currently teaching at seminars across the US and also conducting classes for the Northern Indiana Law Enforcement Academy training patrol dog handlers the art of reading their dogs and scent work.
Jason Greene – Advanced Trailing
Jason began his career working with dogs in 2002 with the Lake County Sheriff’s Police Department. He was assigned the department’s only bloodhound. Bloodhound Elvis was trained in Mantrailing by Jason and through relentless miles behind Elvis in both training and live police cases, Jason and Elvis were successful in finding the lost and missing as well as the “runaway” criminals. Due to health issues with K9 Elvis it was necessary to have him laid to rest, unfortunately. K9 Buster was immediately acquired by Jason and again with relentless miles and countless hours behind Buster, the two were successful in numerous finds to include providing key evidence to a murder being investigated by the Illinois State Police Major Crimes Task Force. In 2004 Jason chose to up his game, and resigned from the Sheriff’s Department, to further his experience with working dogs. Jason joined a Private Security Company contracted to provide close protection for the United States Department of State in Iraq. From 2004 to 2007 Jason played a key role in the company’s Explosive Detector Dog Program. Jason was part of a number of “startup” details which required his tireless effort to mold his K9 experience to meet the needs of small Close Protection Details that worked in remote areas throughout Iraq with little to no resources to count on. Jason, his dog Emma and another K9 Team were part of a detail tasked with gathering evidence of the “Anfal”, the genocide against the Kurdish people of northern Iraq. Jason moved on to southern Iraq with his personally owned Explosive Detector Dog Deacon in 2005 to assist with the democratic rebuilding of the area, again a “startup” site. During that time Jason was also tasked with training, and supervising the “Static Security Force” of 15 Chilean Nationals assigned to assist in protecting government personnel in the performance of their duties throughout all of southern Iraq. Through Jason’s tenacious work ethic, loyalty and dedication to the company’s efforts to provide the absolute best to the Client’s contracted to work for, he was placed into the position of Kennel Master in the Baghdad area of operations. Jason was charged with the everyday training, maintaining, and deployment of 30 dog teams in and around Baghdad. Jason was also a key to effectively moving teams to the company’s “satellite” sites and coordinating all logistics in and out of the country. In late 2007, Jason and his dog Deacon were employed by a commuter railroad police department that operates throughout Northwest Indiana into downtown Chicago. Jason and Deacon have assisted numerous local agencies in both Explosives Detection searches and criminal apprehensions. During the 2008 presidential campaign throughout northwest Indiana Deacon’s Explosives Detection abilities were tested regularly. 2012’s NATO summit in hidalgo was a logistic nightmare for the commuter railroad that Jason and Deacon worked for. It would be easier to count the hours the two were NOT working. In 2013 Jason received a young pup that he trained to be a Dual-Purpose Explosives Detection Dog. Jason has been a Trainer for American Police Canine Association and has been an Indiana Law Enforcement Instructor. Through Greene Dog Consulting LLC that Jason owns and operates, he works with both civilians and Law Enforcement. GDCLLC has helped numerous LE seminars in Trailing with Charlie Douthett along with other specialty courses for LE. GDCLLC holds regular Stability, Control, Obedience Group Training assisting handlers with gaining control of their pups, all breeds, all ages, all levels of handling. Jason has been assisting Charlie Douthett with presenting information about trailing since 2007 for numerous search and rescue seminars with a number of different organizations.
Kevin Kidwell – Advanced Trailing
Kevin Kidwell’s career as an emergency responder led to his passion as a K-9 trailing handler and trainer. For 25 years, Kevin served as an advanced emergency medical technician, firefighter, and firefighter instructor in the Benton, LA Fire Department. In 2008, Kevin began working with K-9s and became a member of both the Shreveport Fire Department K-9 and Ark-LA-Tex K-9 Search and Rescue Teams. Kevin has earned certifications from NOCDS, US Man Trailing, and AMPWADA and in 2017, began instructing for US Man Trailing. Upon retirement from the Fire Department in 2021, Kevin continued as a K-9 handler and trainer while also serving as a part time Safety Officer at the LSU Health Sciences Center -Shreveport and Reserve Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Deputy. Kevin has been an instructor at multiple seminars and training events throughout the county and is currently training his fourth K-9. Although he owns Bloodhounds, Kevin has learned to read most breeds. Kevin lives in Stonewall, LA with his wife and two sons and continues to assist in K-9 search and rescue operations with local, state, and federal agencies throughout Louisiana and Texas.
“I am grateful and fortunate for the opportunity to teach and pass on what has been taught to me.”
Roy Lopez – Urban Trailing
Roy Lopez is a combat veteran who started his career in the U.S. Navy in 1987. He completed SEAL training in 1989 and was deployed as a Special Warfare Operator during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. After the Navy, he joined the Border Patrol in 1997 and became a founding member of both the U.S. Border Patrol’s Search, Trauma and Rescue Team (BORSTAR) as well as the BORSTAR K9 Program. Mr. Lopez became a trailing canine handler in 2001 and graduated the Border Patrol’s Trailing Canine Instructor School a couple years later. As the agency’s first certified trailing canine handler, he was able to record nearly 2,000 people finds over his extensive career. The Custom’s and Border Protection (CBP) canine trailing course that Roy helped develop is responsible for the location and apprehension of tens of thousands of criminals Being a member of one of the busiest Federal Law Enforcement Special Operations Teams in the country Roy quickly recognized a need to deploy canines in various ways. He expanded the use of canines from locating live humans by trailing and air scent to also be able to find human remains on land and in water and be deployable from horseback. These innovations became the Federal Government’s Human Remains Detection Course. Graduates of the 400-hour course include Border Patrol Agents, State and Local Law Enforcement and many Foreign Law Enforcement Officers. Both nationally and internationally numerous missing persons have been recovered and many criminals have been prosecuted as a result of this program. Roy is a Master Trainer of Tracking and Trailing Teams, SAR Area Search, and Cadaver Detection for the North American Police Work Dog Association (NAPWDA). In this role, he has had the opportunity to train and certify law enforcement and volunteer teams from around the country.
Todd Raak – Urban Trailing
Todd Raak has been involved with Search and Rescue since 2015. Todd trained and nationally certified with his bloodhound Letti multiple times, and deployed on numerous searches with her. He worked as search manager, and assisted with the training of other K9s in various disciplines relating to search and rescue. He completed all required course work - NIMS, First Aid/CPR (Certified), Hazmat, Crime Scene Preservation and Search Management. He was active with the search team until 2019 when he stepped away from the search team to focus on a new career position. He continued to help work and train dogs with his wife who is also an active K9 handler and trainer. Todd is currently a trainer and evaluator for man-trailing with AMPWDA, organizing trainings and setting up evaluations during workshops and national conferences. His passion for trailing and K9s is obvious to anyone he meets. His preferred teaching style involves breaking things down into individual components/steps, allowing the dog/handler teams to successfully put the pieces together. He is an excellent communicator and enjoys sharing his knowledge with other handlers and watching dogs work.
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Email: csar2023seminar@gmail.com
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Past Seminars
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2022 Rhinelander WI
2021 Jackson's Gap AL 2020 cancelled due to COVID pandemic 2019 Townsend TN 2018 cancelled due to hurricane 2017 Peninsula OH 2016 Rosholt WI 2015 Jackson's Gap AL 2014 Potosi MO 2013 Jackson OH 2012 Eureka MO 2011 Rosholt WI |
2010 Guntersville AL
2009 Jackson OH 2008 Potosi MO 2007 Black Mountain NC 2006 Jackson OH 2005 Prescott AZ 2004 Guntersville AL 2003 Black Mountain NC 2002 Jackson OH 2001 Camp Atterbury, IN 2000 Appomattox VA (Spring) 2000 Hedgesville WV (Fall) 1999 Appomattox VA (Spring) 1999 Camp Marymount TN (Fall) 1998 Black Mountain NC (Fall) 1998 Appomattox VA (Spring) 1997 Appomattox VA (Spring) |